Dare To Believe
by bowtiedarling
Summary: Edward takes Bella home to meet his family at Christmas, despite her aversion to the holiday. "A Twilight Christmas" Entry for Twilightsickness contest by ScriptedRebel


"**A Twilight Christmas" Writing contest hosted by TwilightSickness [dot] com  
><strong>

**Dare To Believe by ScriptedRebel**

**Twitter: ScriptedRebel**

*****Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight and all it's characters. *****

* * *

><p>The fresh powder crunched beneath my feet as I slowly made my way through the neighborhood. I pulled my scarf up over my mouth and wrapped my coat around me a little tighter, trying to block the bitter wind from sneaking in. The streets were mobbed by last minute shoppers and families on their way to celebrate with loved ones. Manhattan was decorated to the nines for Christmas and it was always nice to see so many people come together at this time of year to celebrate.<p>

I turned the corner and carefully stepped around the pile of slush in the middle of the sidewalk; no need to help my clumsiness along. I quickly glanced down the street both ways before stepping off the curb and hurrying across the street. I was nervous about tonight and I needed my caffeine fix desperately. I smiled as the sign for my favorite coffee shop came into view and the wonderful aroma of coffee pierced the air around me. I opened the glass door and, stepping into the warm shop, took a deep breath as I glanced around. It wasn't as busy as it usually was but I suspected that was because it was Christmas Eve. Most regulars would be at home with their families partaking in Christmas traditions. Not me.

"Hey Bella, Merry Christmas!"

I smiled at Nicole, one of the baristas that was always happy, all the time. "Hey, Merry Christmas. Can I get a vanilla latte please?"

"Sure thing." I reached for my wallet but Nicole shook her head. "No way, it's on me we will call it an early Christmas present."

I nodded and thanked her and moved toward the other end of the counter as she made my drink. This was the first place I had come to when I moved to the city and Nicole had been the first person I'd met.

"So do you have any plans for Christmas?"

I bit my bottom lip and nodded at Nicole as I leaned against the counter. "Yeah actually, um, Edward is taking me to his parents house for dinner. Some family thing I think."

"Oh that sounds nice. Here you go hun. Have a great holiday Bella."

"Thanks, you too." I gratefully grabbed my coffee and headed back into the freezing New York City air. I had to get home and change so he wouldn't have to wait for me.

Edward. My soulmate. God I was so lucky to have him. The minute I looked up into those piercing emerald eyes I knew that somehow my life was going to change drastically. I never thought it would happen so quickly though.

_*Flashback__*_

_Today was one of New York City's finest fall days. The leaves had just started changing color to beautiful reds but the air was still pleasantly warm. Little children were running around the grass playing tag with their friends, enjoying being in the park. Me? I was looking for inspiration. I had an interview for a magazine in a few days and I needed to build up my portfolio. Central Park was my go to place for inspiration and it never failed me. There was always an abundance of life and love and activity, you never knew what you would find._

_I searched ahead of me and found an older couple sitting on a bench with their backs toward me. He had his arm around her and she had her head resting on his shoulder, even from this distance I could tell that they were still so in love. I looked through the viewfinder on my camera and searched for the perfect angle, moving in all different directions. I moved back hitting something hard; I turned around to see what it was. I felt my feet slip out from under me and before I knew it I was lying on the ground staring at the sky, with my camera landing a few feet away from me._

"_I'm so sorry, are you okay? Let me help you up."_

_I took the strangers hand, pushed myself off the ground, trying to brush the dirt off my jeans. I reached down for my camera and as I stood I found myself staring into the most beautiful emerald green eyes I had ever seen. "Oh, it's okay, my fault. I should have watched where I was going."_

_The man smiled, I moved to my right so I could see him without the glare of the sun killing my eyes. He was taller than me with pale skin and bronze colored hair. He was built perfectly, not super skinny but not muscular either. He was wearing black jeans and a button up shirt in a blue color that looked amazing against his alabaster skin. I saw his lips move and realized he was talking to me. "I'm sorry?"_

_He grinned running his hand through his hair. "I wanted to make sure you were okay. My Name's Edward by the way."_

_He held his hand out for me to shake, I gently put my hand in his, jumping slightly when I felt something surge through my hand and arm. "I'm Bella and I'm fine I promise. I can be so clumsy sometimes; that was peanuts compared to what I usually end up in." He smiled that beautiful grin again; I found it very hard to form any sort of coherent phrase._

"_Is your camera okay? It looks pretty fancy, I didn't break it I hope."_

"_Uh," I quickly did a once over of it to make sure nothing was obviously missing, cracked, or shattered. "Nope it's fine, this thing was built to withstand a lot."_

"_Good, because no offense, I probably couldn't afford to replace it." I chuckled, gazed to my left at the two kids running by, screaming while they played. I glanced back to where Edward was standing and noticed him staring at me, although I couldn't comprehend why he would be. "Bella do you want to grab some coffee with me? I'm intrigued to hear what had you so involved when you ran into me."_

_I smiled up at him and nodded, not sure I couldn't trust myself to scream out yes. "That sounds great. I know a wonderful place, if you're up for it."_

_He nodded with a grin on his face and we headed off toward my favorite spot._

_*End Flashback*_

We ended up staying for three hours, drinking coffee and getting to know each other. We talked about everything, from family to jobs to our favorite TV shows; I was shocked to learn that he hadn't ever seen my favorite. That was three months ago and when we weren't working we were together. It didn't seem like three months, it only felt like three days, but as people say, time flies when you're having fun.

I carefully crossed the street, reaching for my keys in my coat pocket; it was too cold to have to dig through my purse for them. I quickly unlocked the front door to my building and stepped inside, hoping to heat up at least a little before I got to my apartment. I turned to the right and moved to hit the button for the elevator; which was, of course, out of order. I groaned and opened the door next to me, preparing to walk up four flights of stairs. Nothing ever got fixed in this building. I finally reached my floor, out of breath, shoved the key into the lock and threw the door open. I leaned back against the door for a few minutes with my eyes closed catching my breath. I had to thank the powers that be; my vanilla latte was still warm and hadn't spilled everywhere.

I opened my eyes and took a sip of the warm liquid smiling inside as it made it's way through my body warming me up. I placed my purse on the table by the kitchen and looked over in my living room; the huge Christmas tree was unfortunately still standing. I rolled my eyes at it as I walked over to breathe in deeply, appreciating the wonderful pine smell that permeated the air. Despite my aversion to the holiday Edward has been determined to change my mind, and it all started with a tree two weeks ago. I pretended to be annoyed but inside it meant a lot to me that he was trying to overshadow bad memories with new good ones. I had decided that I should try to be open to what he was doing, which is why I allowed him to get a huge tree that took him and his brother an hour to get up the stairs into my apartment. Maybe he'd learned a lesson for next year.

I glanced up at the clock, realizing that I only had twenty minutes to look presentable before he would be here. I quickly ran to my room and gulped my coffee as I looked from something to wear. I wasn't really a dress person but this was a special get together; I at least wanted to look like I cared for Christmas. I pulled a pair of patterned tights out and a black three-quarter sleeve dress that was fitted but still loose enough to be conservative for meeting the parents in. My friend Angela had given them to me last year against my wishes saying that at some point I may need them; I was now quietly thanking her. I ran to the bathroom and threw them on then quickly ran a brush through my long hair. It tended to do the opposite of what I wanted it to and today was no exception. I thought about putting it into a ponytail but decided against it; if I got embarrassed for any reason tonight I couldn't hide in my hair if it was up. I swiped a light brown shadow quickly over my eyes and followed it with a little mascara. I did a once over in the bathroom mirror and turned the light off before making my way back to my closet.

I found my favorite black ballet flats and threw them on as I grabbed a jacket. I ran to the kitchen to change my purse into a more appropriate small bag, making sure I had all my little necessary items in there. I walked over to the table and grabbed the small box of chocolate I had purchased yesterday as a gift before setting it next to my purse. I sat down in the chair closest to me to wait and two seconds later my doorbell rang. I threw my jacket on, grabbed my bag and chocolates before taking a deep breath while walking to the door.

* * *

><p>"This is where you grew up?"<p>

He chuckled and glanced at me while driving through the town. "Why do you look so surprised?"

I stared out the windows at the Colonial homes and small town shops in awe. I had never seen towns that had so much Americana charm and history in them. "You don't seem like the type of person to come from a place like this. The history here is unbelievable. I can't even imagine growing up in a place like this, much less leaving it."

He reached over and took my hand, giving me a quick smile before turning his attention back to the road. "I did love growing up here, with my parents as great as they are, I had an amazing childhood. I love living in NYC, it's close enough to my family while being far enough away. Besides my sister and brother live in the city too so I'm not far from everyone. As I'm sure you know though, distance from a parent can be a good thing."

I smiled as I continued to watch the beautiful buildings flash by out the window knowing how right he was. The difference is that my Dad was on the other side of the country, not just across a bridge. Although he could be a little overbearing. Edward turned into a residential area, again I found myself staring out the window at the beautiful large homes. He made two more turns before slowing the car down a few houses from the corner. He turned into a long circular driveway and followed it around, parking behind a red BMW convertible. He shut the engine off, gently squeezed my hand before stepping out of the driver's side and walking around the car. I heard my door open and felt the chilly air come streaming into the car and shivered slightly. I grabbed my belongings with the gift and stepped out, staring at the intimidating house in front of me. He could have warned me; I felt completely out of place, and this was from just seeing the outside. It was a beautiful moss green colonial home with white trim around all the doors and windows. Beautiful uneven stones made up the entire entry area and there was a small porch in front. I heard someone snickering and elbowed him in the side.

"Ready to go in?"

"Absolutely not. I mean, what if they don't like me? I mean, clearly we come from different worlds…"

"Hey," he murmured pulling me in front of him, lifting my chin to stare into his beautiful eyes. "I love you, that's enough for them. They will adore you, I can promise you that. Besides, you've already met my brother. You have nothing to worry about."

I reached up on my toes and gently brought my lips to his before grabbing his hand. "You're too good, alright, let's go." He led me up the walk and up the steps before reaching across me to ring the doorbell. I tried to remember to breathe as I saw shadows in the house moving. The door suddenly opened and to my great relief Emmett was standing on the other side. I grinned before he immediately picked me up in a huge bear hug, carrying me into the house and spinning me around. "Hi Emmett."

"Hi Bells! Sorry, I thought you could use a familiar face before you start meeting the crazies."

"Emmett."

"Don't even deny it Edward, you know we're all insane." He grinned and grabbed Edward in a hug, it was refreshing to see them together laughing and wrestling.

I stepped to the side, letting them have their moment, and took it as an opportunity to look around. Straight in from the front door was a beautiful staircase that looked like it was the oldest, most beautiful piece of the house. The banister was wrapped in pine needles and lights; it just took one breath to realize that all the pine needles in this house were real. To the left was a formal living area and sitting in the corner by the bay window was a stunning black Grand Piano, I immediately knew it was Edwards. His musical talent amazed me and I so wished he would follow it; that was another discussion though. I ran a finger across the top of the piano; I could feel a pair of arms sneak around my waist, gently pulling me back.

"What do you think?"

I sighed and turned around in his arms, leaning up to give him a gentle kiss. "I think that this house is amazing and that I was hoping you would sit down to play something for me."

"Gladly, but first we have to meet everyone."

I groaned but followed him through the foyer into the family/kitchen area, where I saw the men on the couch in the family room and the women in the kitchen, where they were preparing all of the food for tonight's dinner. The tall, slender woman with bronze hair just like Edward saw us and smiled, immediately making me feel at ease, she was quickly making her way over to us. Edward dropped my hand and rushed over to give her a hug laughing at something she said. He pulled away and led her over to me, I quickly smoothed out my skirt while she wasn't looking.

"Esme, this is Bella. Bella, this is my mother, Esme."

She smiled warmly immediately embracing me in a hug , I felt like I was home. I eagerly hugged her back and wondered if this was what it felt like to have a mom. "It's so nice to meet you Mrs. Cullen, thank you for having me."

"You're very welcome Bella. Please, call me Esme. Mrs. Cullen makes me feel old. I'm so glad you're here. If anyone gives you any trouble you come find me, I'll set them straight."

I smiled at her before a small pixie like girl with short black hair coming up behind her caught my eye; she was gently shoving Esme out of the way.

"My turn! Hi Bella I'm Alice, I'm so glad you're here. It's nice to have another girl in this family. I love your dress! Oh and I'm Edward's sister."

"Calm down Alice, don't scare her."

"Oh shush Jazz, leave us girls alone."

I smiled at the interaction I looked up finding Edward, who was just standing there rolling his eyes. Though the corners of his mouth were slightly turned up into that perfect smile of his. I looked back at Alice and the man that had joined her. He had blonde, wavy hair that grazed his eyes, and he had a one sided grin that would make any girl weak.

"Bella, this is my husband, Jasper."

The blonde walked forward, wrapping me up in a very tight hug. "Very pleased to meet you Bella. You'll have to excuse Alice, she tends to be a bit overwhelming."

I nodded in appreciation, thankful to know it wasn't just me, and smiled at him. "Nice to meet you too." Before I could say anything else Emmett burst through the small group bringing another girl with him. My jaw almost dropped to the floor at the sight of her beauty, I immediately felt completely plain standing in the same room with her. She had long blonde hair, brown eyes with pale skin, and her body was perfectly proportioned. I would have sworn that she was a professional model.

"Move over everyone. Bella, this is my girl Rosalie. Rose, this is the girl I was talking about." My eyes got wide at his last sentence she noticed. She lightly slapped his arm and rolled her eyes.

"Emmett, do not scare the poor girl. I promise Bella, it has been nothing but good things. It's very nice to meet you. It'll be good to have another normal girl here too." She gave me a quick hug then turned around to the group. "Okay everyone shoo, let the girl have her space." She grabbed Emmett's hand and led him across the room to the couches while Jasper and Alice moved toward the kitchen together.

I grabbed Edward's hand giving it a squeeze, as he turned me around and led me out of the kitchen. I moved my head to the side wondering where we were going but he just motioned for me to follow. He led me back out through the hallway and past the stairs to the other side of the house and stopped in front of a beautiful mahogany door. He knocked while looking at me, a smile on his face. We entered when he heard a voice call him in on the other side. As we walked through the door the first thing that caught my eye was the amount of books on bookshelves that covered the walls completely, floor to ceiling. Some were very old, some were new, but they were everywhere. There were some even stacked on tables around the room. Old photos and posters were hung on the wall space that was available I just wanted to go stare at them. I heard Edward clear his throat, immediately I felt bad for staring at the room. A low chuckle came from the other side of the room; a blonde man smiling at me standing behind a beautiful old mahogany desk caught my eye. I felt a blush creep up on my face and tried to smile.

"Bella this is Carlisle, my father. Carlisle, this is Bella."

He came around the desk and held his hand out for me to shake. "It's a pleasure to meet you Bella, I've heard so many wonderful things from Edward. I'm glad you were able to join us tonight for dinner."

I smiled back at him while firmly shook his hand, squaring my shoulders as much as I could. "It's a pleasure to meet you too Dr. Cullen. Thank you so much for inviting me."

He waved his hand and smiled at me. "Please, call me Carlisle. I understand you are a photographer."

I nodded and glanced back at the old photos of his on the wall. "Yes, well, aspiring. I haven't sold a photograph yet. I'm sorry about earlier, I noticed the photos on your wall and got slightly distracted."

"Don't apologize," he said with a smile and I immediately felt relaxed. "You are more than welcome to look at them. Some of them are shots that I just love; others have some meaning behind them. I'd be happy to tell you the stories if you'd like." I nodded, eager to hear the stories of the beautiful pictures in the room when we heard Esme call everyone to dinner. "Apparently that will have to wait until later. I, for one, will not be late to one of her dinners."

He and Edward chuckled and I followed behind them as I watched their interaction. It was nice to see him with his family, in his own environment where he felt comfortable. I couldn't help but feel jealous at the family he had; I had never known what that felt like and I never would.

I entered the dining room immediately amazed by the extraordinary beauty of the holiday décor. Esme must have taken a lot of time to decorate it and I felt like I was at an event, not just a family dinner. The walls were a beautiful red color; ornaments in an almost perfectly matched red and silver were placed on the mantle, with candles placed in between them. Huge white three-dimensional snowflakes hung from the ceiling and large folded red stars hung in between those. The dining table was decorated with red and white striped china, red wine glasses, and a stunning white cake was placed on a pedestal in the middle of the table. Everyone moved around the room finding a spot to sit at, and I vaguely felt Edward guide me to a chair. I was in awe; this whole family, the way they interacted, how much they cared for each other, I didn't know there were still families like theirs. I had never seen a family that would drop everything they were doing for one another. It amazed me.

I felt Edward grab my hand under the table I smiled and looked up at him. He silently asked me if I was okay and I nodded and mouthed a 'yes' to him as I squeezed his hand. I heard Carlisle clear his throat, getting everyone's attention before holding his hands out to his wife and daughter.

"Let's say a little something, shall we?"

* * *

><p>I held one of his hands in my left hand as I gently traced the lines in his palm with my right. After a delicious dinner from Esme she insisted that Edward and I come out and have some time together. I think she sensed that I was overwhelmed and needed some quiet time. So here we were, in the sunroom off of the kitchen, curled up under a blanket on the oversized sofa they had placed here. "It's so beautiful out here. Peaceful. So different from the city."<p>

He chuckled and pulled me closer into his side. "That's why I love coming here. I can appreciate it now that I'm older. Life never stops in the city, but here, they take time with their families and everything shuts down at night. Not to mention when it snows here it actually stays white for a time, instead of it being washed away by cars and footprints."

I smiled at his childish tone and curled into him as far as I could watching the fresh snowflakes float toward the ground. "My dad used to wake me up in the middle of the night to watch the first snow of the season…to make a wish."

"A wish?"

"Yeah I used to ask for the same every year."

"What did you wish for?"

I bit the corner of my lip and glanced down toward the blanket, fiddling with my fingers underneath it. "Umm, I used to wish for my mom to come back." He didn't say anything and I glanced up, seeing the love and patience in his eyes, and for the first time I felt like talking about it. "She left me and my dad on Christmas Eve when I was six. She said that she didn't want to be a mother, that my dad had taken away her freedom when she had me. I had been sitting on the steps listening to them arguing; when I heard that I ran upstairs and flung myself across my bed." I shook my head and looked away from him staring out into the dark night sky. "She never even said goodbye. I couldn't understand why she would just leave. It got better with time and he always tried to put forth some extra effort at the holidays to try and help me forget but it was never the same. As I got older we slowly stopped celebrating Christmas, Dad would work at the station and I would stay home and read or go out with my camera."

Edward squeezed my hand and placed a kiss on my forehead. "That's why Christmas is hard for you. If I had known I never would have-"

"No, no, no, it's time that I get over it. Thank you for helping me move past that. It was just hard for me to allow myself to remember the holidays, I guess. When I saw your family tonight it just made me remember that I'll never have that. It's always just been me and my dad, I've never known what it's like to be around a family, especially one where everyone likes each other." He chuckled and I smiled as I continued. "Thank you, for showing me what an amazing, fun holiday can be like."

He placed a finger under my chin and gently lifted it to meet my eyes. "I love you Bella. You are an amazingly strong woman who has dealt with a lot in life and I love that you have made it through a better person. You have a family now; you have me, and you have my entire family. I couldn't separate them from you if I tried." He smiled at me and I felt a weight lift off my shoulders. "There will be tons of fun family holidays in the future that you will be involved in."

I cupped his face gently with my fingers and stroked his cheek before stretching up and softly kissing him. "I love you. So much. Thank you for understanding and caring enough."

He kissed me back with everything he had and I felt it all the way down to my toes. I curled myself up against him wanting to crawl inside and never break away. He placed his free hand on the small of my back and slowly lowered me backwards. I ran my fingers through his soft bronze locks and softly moaned as he began trailing kisses along my jawline. I moved my hand down his strong back and underneath his shirt, tracing light patterns with my fingers along his waistline. I felt his hand slowly creep up my stomach, taking my shirt with it, when I heard piano keys being played and Edward's name being called. He pulled away and breathed a deep sigh before resting his head on my chest. "Edward what's going on?"

He groaned, laying still for a second before slowly sitting up bringing me with him. "It's piano time."

"Piano time?"

"Every year, sometime after dinner, everyone gathers in the living room and Esme sings Christmas carols. I always play the piano for her."

I grinned and poked him in his side tickling him a little. "I get to hear you play?" He nodded and I gave him a quick peck on the lips before standing up with the blanket in front of him, the moments before being forgotten. "Well then let's go, we can't keep Esme waiting." Edward stared at me in annoyance clearly wanting to continue our previous activities. "Come on there will be lots of time for that afterwards. Right now I get to see you play." He grabbed my hand and we padded back into the house walking through the gorgeous interior to the living room. We entered the room and I realized everyone was waiting for us. Edward squeezed my hand and joined Esme by the piano as they sorted through sheet music. I looked at the rest of the family and saw Rosalie discreetly waving me over to sit between her and Alice on the couch across from the black instrument. I smiled at her unwrapping myself from the blanket before sitting down between the two girls. They immediately grabbed the fabric from me and spread it out between all three of us snuggling in for the performance.

"So what will my lovely musicians be playing tonight?"

I turned my head towards Carlisle and couldn't help but smile at the obvious love he had for his family. I looked at Esme who in turn looked at Edward, waiting for him to play something. He grinned and began playing the keys, playing a familiar tune that sounded as if it should belong in a symphony. Esme grinned, recognizing the song, and sat down next to him on the bench before she singing.

_Silent night, holy night  
>All is calm, all is bright<br>Round yon Virgin Mother and Child  
>Holy Infant so tender and mild<br>Sleep in heavenly peace  
>Sleep in heavenly peace<em>

_Silent night, holy night!  
>Shepherds quake at the sight<br>Glories stream from heaven afar  
>Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!<br>Christ, the Saviour is born  
>Christ, the Saviour is born<em>

_Silent night, holy night  
>Son of God, love's pure light<br>Radiant beams from Thy holy face  
>With the dawn of redeeming grace<br>Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth  
>Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth<em>

I looked around at the Cullen family, each member totally mesmerized by the beautiful and touching music floating through the air. I fixed my gaze on Edward, who was staring back at me smiling, and mouthed 'I love you'. He smiled and mouthed it back and for once felt like I was truly loved and part of a family.


End file.
